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Preschool Homeschool | Singapore Mighty Math at TGLA

In the last quarter of 2015, we were having some concerns on the behavior of Little V. At those moments, I wished that he was not homeschooled. I wished that he'd wake up in the morning, went to a regular school, and came home too exhausted to argue with me. I needed time to breathe with all that was happening to me - a new baby, recovering body from a C-section, no helpers at home, online work, and a feisty 4 year old. Sending him to school was the first thing that came up in my mind that would give me a breather.

But it was almost October then and all preschools have started. I then thought, why not send him to a once a week program instead? We have a newborn and bringing her out everyday would be a bad idea. So I started looking for homeschool support programs.

I have heard of The Great Leap Academy ( TGLA) earlier but my preggy lazy body last year didn't want to leave the house.

I searched online for a Singapore Math class in our area. Math was the subject I chose for an out-of-the-house program because it's something he didn't have much interest in. I thought that if I send him to school once a week, he'd experience to be taught by a person other than us his parents, he'd meet other kids, and we hoped his tantrums would lessen.

While browsing CashCashPinoy, I chanced upon discount vouchers for the Singapore Mighty Math of TGLA. For 8 sessions, I just paid Php2500 instead of the almost 4K fee. That same night, I consulted my husband and we were both onboard to enroll our son.

I sent our vouchers thru email and went to the school in October with my mom and had Little V assessed by his teacher, Mico.

Little V with Teacher Mico during his assessment

This was our son's first time to be taught by a professional. We then came to an agreement to have his classes scheduled once a week, each lasting for an hour.

Mighty Math's individualized teaching system will significantly improve children's understanding of Math concepts, and assist then in first reaching, and then exceeding their math goals. The key to the system is that it is self-paced. With the help of Mighty Math highly skilled instructors, children progress through a series of fun yet stimulating workbooks according to their ability, not their grade level.

His sessions are 1:1 but he still gets to play with other kids from other classes. He also gets a break midway of each session.

Little V immediately loved his teacher, the school, and its people. He would often ask me when he'd go back to school. Quite frankly I now use this as leverage whenever I want him to do something, like taking a nap or finishing his lunch. Haha!

TGLA is the first international enrichment hub in the country that offers programs like Singapore Mighty Math, Music Together, and Helen O Grady.

The place is child-friendly, with an area for reading, pretend play, and a pool of balls. Their washroom even has a diaper changing table, perfect for us who bring along babies like Baby Z. She has "anointed" the changing table on her Kuya's first day of class. LOL!

They also hold special programs for the kids like last year's Trick or Treat and Christmas Party.

Little V is now on his 13th session and has shown significant improvement on his counting and writing number skills. We don't want to push him to learn academics unless he is ready. We believe that Singapore Math is a great program for him. They use concept-building instead of memorization, encourages real world application and problem solving. On their sessions they use worksheets, manipulatives, games, and play. He enjoys his time learning and that's the most important thing for me.

We also saw improvement in his behavior. His tantrums have lessened and he no longer fights me (well most of the time). He still argues though whenever it was time to go home after his class. The. Struggle. Is. Real.

This experience has taught me to be humble and accept that I can't do everything. That indeed, it takes a village to raise a child.

You may not even know it, pero you are already homeschooling your daughter since birth :) We the parents are their first teachers - pano humawak ng bottle/baso, umupo, maglakad, kumanta, wash ng hands - the list is endless! :D Homeschooling is a lifestyle. It doesn't mean kasi na sa bahay lang natututo si baby. Yung pagpunta sa grocery and teaching her what is rice, sugar, the prices, how to queue - that's part of homeschooling na. In short, our kids learn anywhere, everywhere, and we the parents are the facilitators and teachers of those experiences :D You can join FB groups like Homeschooling the Early Years or visit the website of The Learning Basket (TLB) to learn more how you can facilitate the learning progress of your child. TLB also facilitates seminars on starting your preschool homeschool :)

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Meet Petite Momma

Kat is a stay-at-home mom to three wonderful kids. This blog chronicles her life as a wife, bargain-hunter, homeschool parent, home manager, kitchen's mad scientist (sometimes) and all the ups and downs of motherhood. Contact: petitemomma18@gmail.com